Her hands trembled as she reached for the zip in her dress. Tears of shame blurred her eyes. She was a princess who lived with honor but the customs were different here. She was the Mistress of the king. She had to follow his order blindly.
Inhaling another breath, Everett used her hands to pull the zip down. In a flash of a moment, her shabby gown hit the floor, her cheeks turning red in shame. Fredrick narrowed his eyes at her naked frame. She had a beautifully curved body, white smooth skin, and tenderness. He didn't think that he met someone so beautiful like her before. His Lycan groaned in frustration inside and wanted to pouch at her but Fredrick shut him off. His eyes raked on her bruises, glazed with ointment. Surely he could guess that Ryan was giving her this medicine.
A certain possessiveness gripped his heart tight. Taking low predatory steps to Everett, Frederick asked in a dark and deep voice,
" Where did you get the medicine from, sweetheart?"
Everett felt the chill, running through her spine. She didn't expect that the king would notice such little matters as well. She lied with a gulp, trying to get the facts out of her head that she was wearing the undershorts in front of the king,
" A maid..she...she gave this to me..to heal.."
Fredrick's gaze hardened over her answer. He didn't expect her to lie on his face. In another thought, he believed that she was trying to protect Ryan from his wrath. Fredrick snarled at her, slapping his thigh out of rage,
" LIES!!"
Everett jumped out in shock and her step backed away from him. She tried to justify her words again, letting out a small sob,
" No..my king.. It's really aah..."
The following moment, her throat was gripped by him fiercely. A deep pain shot through her skin as she felt his claws almost coming out to dig through her skin. Fredrick roared at her face, their faces only inches apart from each other,
" HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME WHEN I AM SHOWING THE MERCY BY KEEPING YOU ALIVE? IT JUST SHOWS THAT YOU ARE UNGRATEFUL JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER. DID YOU USE ANOTHER FUCKING MAN'S GIFT ON YOU? HOW DARE YOU STILL LIE TO ME?"
Everett's eyes turned big and wide so much that she barely breathed. Even in her wildest imagination, she didn't think that Fredrick would ever find out. She choked under his grip, her eyes watering in pain and difficulty. When she thought that she was one step away from dying in his hands, Fredrick let go of her grip, his eyes stayed firm on her as he grumbled,
" Ryan needs to pay off for crossing the lines including you my Mistress."
Panic ran through her mind as she guessed that the guy was named Ryan. Fredrick took a step to the exit, ready to go out but Everett suddenly went on her knees in front of Fredrick,
" Please... Don't... Please.. It's not his fault. I..I accepted it. Punish me however you want but let him go. He was just being kind."
More tears came from her eyes as she kept kneeling in front of Fredrick. Although Fredrick wanted to tear Ryan's head apart, the sound of her crying was poking his heart badly. He spent a moment before roughly running his fingers through his hair. He was frustrated with himself for being reckless. There were many pack members in his castle who probably broke a thousand rules. He didn't need to give a damn about it but the thought didn't settle within him. Even his Lycan was pissed off at Ryan for giving his mistress a gift.
Fredrick said with a snarl, letting out a suppressive groan,
" Go back and wash yourself in the pond. You aren't allowed to step outside the pool until sunrise."
He left with big strides, leaving Everett behind. As soon as he was gone, Everett couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She sobbed hard and felt bad for the guy who tried to pity her. She prayed that she was the only one who was getting punished for this crime.
On the other side, Fredrick was gone to the rooftop, the cold weather fanning over his body. His visions almost blurred as he watched the kingdoms around him. All of them belonged to him now but he found no peace in his heart. His heart started working like he didn't feel anything anymore. None of these achievements meant anything to him.
Exhaling heavily, Fredrick kept staring at the dark sky until he felt a pair of strong hands, wrapping him from behind. A deep frown appeared between his temples as he heard her whining voice,
" I missed you, Fredrick. You seem too busy with your new mistress these days."
It was Dorothy again who snuck out of her room in the middle of the night. She wasn't allowed to mingle with the Mistresses. Thus, she barely stepped on that quarter but it didn't mean that she heard nothing about the new captive mistress. She didn't think that it was a serious issue since Fredrick hated King Lucerys in the world the most.
Fredrick replied in an annoyed voice,
" Dorothy...You... Stop acting like a child... Leave me alone!"
Dorothy sucked into hot tears as she let go of her arms and started complaining in tears,
" Why are you always avoiding me, Fredrick? You used to listen to me always when I was just a child. But now I have grown up. We can be a great pair. You have known me since my childhood."
Frederick snapped at Dorothy angrily, his eyes glowing brown in the dark,
" I don't love, Dorothy. I don't...You want to ruin your life for me?"
Dorothy replied stubbornly, her eyes searching for hope in his gaze,
" I don't need your love. I..I just want to be your Mistress. If you don't accept me today...I...I... I will kill myself in front of you, Fredrick."